Hrom
Blesk

February 2010
Released: 2009, Steel Legacy
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: JP

Hrom are a young and hungry power metal act from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Their classic sound caught the ear of the Steel Legacy label and before long their debut was available for the masses. Hrom means ‘Thunder’ and the album title BLESK translates to ‘Lightning’ and the band bring both to the local scene saturated with heavier acts.



The album clocks in at nine cuts spread over 39 minutes with an instrumental and a bonus track for this pressing. The packaging and presentation is fairly standard for a new, independent recording act, not amazing but all the basics are there, band photos, lyrics, a few liner notes and so on. The production is a bit muted but clear enough for a home-grown product.



Hrom have chosen to enter the large and competitive traditional /Power Metal field, which is good to see young guys wanting to play that style instead of following trends. In Western Canada there are countless technical Death and thrash style bands but very few bands writing, playing and performing true metal so locally they have stood out from the pack quite quickly.



One of the strongest points of this album is the vocal performance of singer Jan. His style is reminiscent of early 80s power Metal; in fact at times when he hits the high notes he is a dead-ringer for Geoff Tate circa 1985. With a better production and a producer and/or vocal coach to bring out his range he could be a world class vocalist on par with the best. He’s that good. I’ve seen him do it live as well, much to the delight of the few local faithful metal warriors. Get on board with Hrom before they make it big.